Folding rule



- Hi HART AND D. GOULD.

FOLDING RULE. APPLICATION mib sEPT. v2. |92|.vv

1,438,236, Patented 1196.111922.

Stratum.,

' vented.

Patented Dec., l2, 41922.

lliALTEIt H. HART AND DAVID GO'ULD, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOIVS TO' p THE STANLEY WORKS, OF NEW; BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- NEc'rrcUT. Y

romaine RULE.

Application led Septemberl 12, 1921. `Serial No. 500,162. I

To al! whom t may Concern:

Be it known thatwe, WALTER H. HART and DAVID GoULDcitizens of the United States, andvresidents of New Britain, county of Hartford, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Rules, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates lto folding rules made up of rule sections lform-ed of thin strips of metal and pivoted together at their overlapping ends.

The aim of the invention is to provideV a very simple device of this sort wherein the rule sections may be firmly maintained in proper alinement and endwise movement of the sections, in the event wear occursatt'he pivotal connections of the sections, is pre- In the accompanying drawing, wherein vwe have shown for illustrative purposes one embodiment which the invention may take,

Fig. l is a top plan view showing two sections of the rule in extended relation,

Fig. 2 is a view looking at the underside 4 of three sections in extended relation, the 'central portion of the intermediate section being broken away,

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l,

Figs. t and 5 are section views respectively taken on lines i- 4 and 5-5 of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a, a', a, denote rule sections each comprising a relatively thin strip of resilient metal, such as thin fiexible steel; b, denote rivets pivotally connecting together the overlapping ends of contiguous sections; and 0, c, denote springs for holding contiguous sections in frictional engagement with each other.

In the present illustrative disclosure, each section is provided along its longitudinal center or medial line with a stiffening corrugation l1 which preferably is of increased width adjacent its ends thus providing inone face of each section pockets 12 andin the opposite face projections 13. The projections of contiguous sections correspond in shape and the rivets b are located centrally of these projections so that the vprojection at the end of one section may nest in the pocket provided by the projection of the overlapping contiguous section, when the sections are in either extended or folded up relations.

The springs c, which may comprise bowed strips of steel. are positioned in the exposed pockets l2 of the sections. n tendsthrough alined perforations in the projections and lspring and is Vsuitablyl headed at both ends to secure the parts in frictionall engagement.

It will be seen, particularly from--Fig. 3, that when the projections 13 are in nesting relation the Vend walls or transverse shou'l. ders lt of the pockets and projections interengage and thereby effectively prevent relative endwise "or longitudinal -movement of the sections in the event the rivets or vthe j edges of the perforations'receiving the same become worn due to repeated turningmoveinentv of the sections. Thus the sections are effectively maintained in such relation that the original length of the rule is not dis-v turbed nor affected by wear at-,the pivotal connections. When the sections .are turned relatively to vone another, the springs will fieX permitting the corrugations and projections to ride into and out of nesting relation, while at the same time holding they sectionsin'frictional engagement.

It is of course obvious thatsour invention is susceptible of lvarious modifications and changes which are within the spiritI of the invention without departingfrom the scope The rivet eX- cel of the following claims it being understood f that the present disclosure is hy way `of illustration only and it is not to be taken as restrictive of our conception. Y

. What we claim is l. In anali-metal foldingrule, a pair of rule sections having overlapping ends, each comprising a thin strip of metal having a corrugation extending substantially through.-

out its length, a separate spring holding said sections in frictional engagement, and a pivot member pivotally connecting said sections together and holding said spring in place.

2. In an all-metal folding rule", a pair of rule sections having overlapping ends, each comprising a thin strip of metal having a corrugation extending substantially throughout its length, a separate springin the ,corrugation of one section and holding said seceXtending through aligned perforations in iofo` said sections and spring and headed at eachp end to secure. said parts together.

3. In an all-metal folding rule, a pair of tions in frictional engagement, and a rivet 'l rule sections having overlapping section comprising a thin strip of metal, said sections having projections struck up out oi the plane thereoi3 and adapted to nest one Within the other When the sections are in alignment, a separate spring positioned in the pocket provided hy one of said projections, and a pivot niernloer connecting said sections and spring together.

4. ln an all-metal folding rule, a pair of rule sections each comprising a thin strip of resilient metal provided with a longitudinally extending stiening corrugation, one of said ineznhers having a pocket in its eX- posed facen a separate spring positioned in said pocket for holding said sections in frictional engagement, and a rivet connecting said sections and spring together.

5. En an all-metal folding rule, rule secions each comprising a thin strip of resilient metal7 the overlapping end of one section having a struck-up projection. forming a pocket, and the overlapped end of the contiguous section having a corresponding projection aoapted to nest in said pocket with the end Walls or shoulders of said pocket and corresponding projection in engagement with each other, a separate spring in the eX- posed pocket provided by the projection in the overlapped section, and a rivet connectends, each ing said sections and spring and disposed centrally ofsaid projections.

6. ln an all-metal folding rule7 rule sections each comprising a thin strip of resilient metal provided with a longitudinal stiiening corrugation, the corrugations at the overlapping ends of contiguous sections being of increased Width to forni a pocket in one section and acorresponding projection in the contiguous section adapted to nest in said pocket With the lateral shoulders at the ends of said pocket and projection in engagement with each other, and a rivet centrally disposed of said pocket and projection.

7. In an all-metal folding rule, rule sections each comprising a thin strip of resilient metal provided With a longitudinal stii'ening corrugation, the corrugations at the overlapping ends of contiguous sections being of increased width to form corre spending projections adapted to nest one Within the other, a separate spring disposed inthe pocket provided hy one of said projections, and a rivet disposed centrally of said projections and securing said sections and spring together. v

WALTER H. HART. DAVID GOULD. 

